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Quotations from
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe [1749-1832]
 | German writer and statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was invited to join the court of Carl August, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and moved to Weimar (in present-day eastern Germany), where Goethe lived (except for two years in Italy) until his death. His body of work includes epic and lyric poetry, prose and verse dramas, memoirs, an autobiography, literary and aesthetic criticism, scientific treatises, four novels, more than 10,000 letters, and nearly 3,000 drawings. |
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The references to WMail issues indicate quotes that appeared in the free monthly 'WMail' ezine
connected with the revolutionary "Working Minds Philosophy of Empowerment" created by G.E. Nordell.
After WMail Issue #72 in October 2007, essays & quotations & news are being posted to the Dateline Chamesa blog
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe entry at Wikipedia
79 free Goethe etexts at Project Gutenberg (in English, German & Finnish)
 | "Goethe Ultimate Collection: 350+ Works" for Kindle [2013] Kindle Edition from Everlasting Flames Publng [11/2013] for $1.99 {sic} includes 350+ works: 21 poems, epigrams & sonnets; 9 stageplays; his autobiography; a biography; and letters and other works |
“What you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” {Issue #9}
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“Nothing is more terrifying than ignorance in action.” {Issue #26 & blog 8/2009}
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“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe that they are free.” {Issue #43}
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“Nothing is worth more than this day.” {Issue #45}
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“The first and last thing required of genius is the love of truth.” {Issue #67 & blog 1/2008}
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“First master the rules, then discard them.” {Issue #68}
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“Just trust yourself, then you will know how to live.” {blog 9/2008}
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“A useless life is an early death.” {blog 5/2009}
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“It is not enough to have knowledge, one must also apply it. It is not enough to have wishes,
one must also accomplish.” {blog 6/2010}
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“Every author in some way portrays himself in his works, even if it be against his will.” {blog 1/2011}
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“Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.” {blog 6/2012}
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“Happiness is a ball after which we run wherever it rolls, and we push it with our feet when it stops.” {blog 7/2012}
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“Nothing is worse than active ignorance.” {blog 11/2012}
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“With knowledge comes more doubt.” {blog 8/2013}
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“Every solution of a problem is a new problem.” {blog 12/2013}
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“Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.” {blog 1/2014}
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“The dog barks but the caravan passes on.” {blog 3/2014}
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“Many people take no care of their money until they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time.” {blog 7/2016}
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“Du lieber Gott! was so ein Mann / Nicht alles, alles denken kann!”
“Dear God! The things that such a man / Can think of! Nothing! Everything!”
- in "Faust Part 1, Chapter 16" [1809] {blog 1/2017}
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“We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.” {blog 5/2017}
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“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” {blog 5/2017}
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“Money lost, something lost. Honor lost, much lost. Courage lost, everything lost – better [that] you were never born.” {blog 9/2017}
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“Everything is hard before it is easy.” {blog 6/2018}
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“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.” {blog 8/2018}
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“Nothing shows a man's character more than what he laughs at.” {blog 8/2019}
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“The intelligent man finds almost everything ridiculous, the sensible man hardly anything.” {blog 8/2023}
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“All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over
again honestly, until they take root in our personal experience.” {blog 4/2024}
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